Elevator Honesty
by AliyahNCIS
Summary: Beginning with 10x1 and potentially taking Tiva moments out of each S10 episode so they can be exanded upon.
1. 10x1 The Elevator

_A/N: I know a lot of people really enjoyed the premier and I don't want to go raining on anyone's parade, but I have to admit I was disappointed. I'm the person who always wants more, always wants to know what I missed, what was happening before I was let in. I hoped that we'd see the initial moments after the blast - Gibbs reaching for Abby in the lab, making sure she was okay and letting her cry over the destruction. Tony and Ziva picking themselves up, brushing off the dust, doing a cursory glance to make sure the other was not injured. McGee waking up and trying to get re-orientated to his surroundings, making sure he still held the zip drive that was important enough to risk his life for. Jimmy and Breena (or nice strangers) seeing Ducky fall or finding him on the beach moments after his world had been rocked. So I missed what I didn't get to see. And then I felt like the aftermath of the explosion was overlooked - T&Z never really talked, we didn't see Tim at the hospital, the building seemed to be repaired and back to normal in 24 hours. I guess I just hoped for more. Anyhow, rant over. I did like parts of the elevator scenes, but I still had to add a few things. Thanks for listening/reading and for everything, you guys are seriously amazing. I hope you like what I came up with._

The elevator shuddered and Ziva fell from Tony's shoulders and hung onto him until the shaking stopped. "We slipped," she managed, starting to feel a bit panicky.

Tony turned towards her. "Did we? I thought the earth moved." He stared into her eyes and Ziva's gaze dropped to his lips for a brief second before she looked away.

"You are sweating."

Tony had a feeling temperature was the least of their worries. "It's hot in here."

Ziva stepped back. "Really? I had not noticed."

Tony pushed away some hair sticking to her face. "Let me guess, this is like winter in Israel?"

She smiled faintly but it faded quickly as she looked up at him with dark, tired eyes. "For once do not change the subject Tony."

He held her chin gently and leaned down slowly, wondering what her reaction would be. Ziva froze until their lips touched, then her arms went around his neck and Tony pulled her close. The almost desperate kiss added a few degrees to the already intense heat in the metal box, and when they let go both were breathing heavily. Tony quirked a grin. "I'm really glad we're not dead. It would've been a shame to miss that."

Ziva swallowed. "What took you so long?"

He brushed his knuckles down her cheek. "It's all about the timing Zi. A couple months ago you would've laughed or pushed me away."

"I will not push you away now," Ziva promised, raising her face to press her lips against his for far too brief a moment before her phone rang and interrupted, just like always. She spoke for several seconds in a mixture of Hebrew and English to her father, while Tony struggled to wrap his mind around the fact that Eli David had initiated contact with his daughter, like a caring father would do. He'd never pegged that man as caring about anyone besides himself and his job.

Ziva hung up and returned her gaze to Tony. Their eyes spoke far louder than any words as they shared space and breaths and their hearts still beat out of rhythm at this unexpected change. Eventually though exhaustion from the case and the adrenaline drain after the explosion forced them to the floor. They sat close but not touching as the heavy, sticky air did not make cuddling a welcome distraction.

After awhile Tony rubbed his forehead. "How much longer are we gonna be stuck in here?" Waiting but receiving no answer from his partner, he called out, "Hello? Anybody?"

"It has been hours Tony," Ziva said, a hint of exasperation to her resigned tone that was all too similar to a stone cell in Somalia and made him pay more attention. "I cannot take much more of this."

Tony's expression betrayed his confusion even as he tried to keep things light. "What's that supposed to mean?"

She stared at the doors sealing them into a metal tomb. "Do you remember when we were trapped in that shipping container?"

The day marking his five year anniversary as an agent came back to Tony with startling clarity and he remembered the confession she'd made. That thought also triggered memories of their time together in the labyrinth of a warehouse maze while Gibbs shot up a computer and firemen struggled to find a way to get them out. Neither experience had been pleasant. "What happened before that?" he asked cautiously, knowing the story likely would not be a nice one if it made her afraid of small dark spaces. His ninja wasn't afraid of anything, or so he'd thought.

Ziva's gaze was on her dirty fingernails. "One of my first missions was to sneak into the base camp of an Al Qaeda terrorist cell with my team. We made it, collected the intel required, and were almost out when the alert was sounded. Myself and another officer were grabbed, the others escaped. We were dragged into cabins, tied up, then shoved into small root cellars and left. The air was suffocating, there was no light, I could not move enough to untie myself. It was like being inside a coffin and I thought I was going to die." She sighed and fingered her ponytail. "Eventually the rest of our team made it back and rescued us, but it took two days and time has...rarely seemed longer." Ziva met his eyes. "I am grateful not to be alone today."

Tony's hand found hers. "I won't leave you Ziva."

To her ears that sounded like a promise and she squeezed his fingers. Nothing more was spelled out about what exactly they were doing now, but Abby's comment about them probably being ready to kill each other caused smiles and a shared glance between the partners. Two days later when Gibbs left them with his final words, "Watch out for each other," Tony didn't look away from Ziva. She met his eyes and they silently agreed to do just that.

**NCIS**

Four months later everything was back to normal, but it didn't look very much like the old normal. Jimmy and Breena were still at the blissfully in love stage of newlywed life and the young man - whose assistant duties were much more extensive even though Ducky was allowed back to work providing he took it easy and made sure to rest - walked around with a permanent smile on his face.

Abby's lab was once again in a state of pristine order and neither Bert nor McGee were ever far from her side at any given point in time. The probie's wound healed well but the scar from where the glass shard had pierced his side was a constant reminder of how close things came to being so much worse. With that reason as the catalyst, McAbby (as Tony had taken to calling them) were best friends with a hint of something more displayed in the frequent touches and shared glances between the two, and the way Abby linked her arm with his while they walked together in the sunshine.

Things had also changed for Tony and Ziva. They started out slow, once the Dearing case wrapped up, dinner and movie nights and getting comfortable being in each other's lives again. That progressed when Tony asked Ziva out on an actual date a couple months later and Rule 12 just didn't seem so important in the face of the opportunities they almost lost. Since then they'd stayed casual, but resolved that this was not a fling or another relationship that would end badly, but it had the potential to be something real, something permanent.

Being together provided a stability both partners craved, and it was awfully nice to have someone to go home to, even if there was still a necessary goodbye at bedtime. Occasional 'accidental' sleepovers on couches and fully clothed in bed were a good way to ensure peaceful sleep. Laying in each other's arms was a comfort neither took for granted, just like the kisses and gentle touches shared behind closed doors. And if the loud looks communicated across the bullpen became a little more intense, even Gibbs was willing to overlook it in favor of giving his family the shot at the happiness they'd previously been denied.

In the face of catastrophe they'd pulled together, picked up and carried on. Four months had made a difference for all concerned, even their fearless leader, who after that day kept family and friends a little closer than before. He even reached out to a woman from his past who had the potential to one day be a part of his future. All in all, things were good and it was possible, even likely, that in six months or a year they would get even better. Because the lives they'd always wanted were proving well worth fighting for and it was a commonly known fact that the members of Team Gibbs never quit. They kept on, they endured, and they looked forward to reaping the rewards only hard work and patience were capable of bringing about. This was their time and the future was nothing but bright.


	2. 10x1 The Breakroom

_A/N: Just in case anyone cares, I wrote this before the spoilers came out about whatever episode it is Tony talks to Ziva about his mom. Also, this can be considered an 'in between scene' something that could've happened in the show, and also something that fills in the spaces in Chapter 1 between T&Z in the elevator and the happier ever after at the end. So anyhow, enjoy :) PS. Saw Eli David in an old Touched By An Angel episode yesterday...weird, lol._

Once Gibbs left, Tony sat at his desk and watched Ziva pound away agitatedly on her keyboard. When that did nothing to release her frustration, she began stapling documents in a far more aggressive way than necessary. Finally his ninja moved onto sharpening pencils and it was then that Tony scribbled something onto a piece of paper, balled it up, tossed it over to her, got up, and walked away.

Ziva frowned and uncrumpled the note, smoothing it out on her desk. After a moment's consideration, she sighed and rose to follow him. Ziva entered the break room with negative emotions still roiling off her and crossed her arms at her partner, who was leaning against the counter drinking a cup of coffee. "What Tony?"

Wordlessly he handed her a steaming mug of tea and smiled. "Sit. Relax. Breathe."

Her fingers wrapped gratefully around the hot beverage and she dropped into a nearby chair, setting the cup on the table in front of her. Tony waited several moments for Ziva to take the rest of his advice and finally placed his drink beside hers. When he moved behind her, Ziva tensed and Tony put his hands on her shoulders. "You've been rubbing your neck all day. Let me try."

Ziva considered his offer briefly and deliberately relaxed, which Tony took as a clear sign of agreement. His large, surprisingly soft hands began mapping her muscles, and as the heat from his skin began to sink into hers, Ziva gave an inaudible sigh of relief. Her obvious enjoyment of his ministrations made Tony smile and he was content to keep quiet and just savour these moments with his partner.

He'd worked all of the knots and most of the tension out of her neck and continued to her shoulders before Ziva spoke, leaning her head forward to give him better access. "I am sorry your father did not call."

Tony paused for the space of a breath and shrugged nonchalantly. "No biggie, I'm over it. Why start acting like he cares now?"

Ziva could hear the hurt under his forced joking tone and turned slightly. "He does care Tony, I have seen it. Perhaps he is just not sure how to show it yet."

Tony ran his hands over her shoulders one last time and sat down beside his partner. "It's been over thirty years since my mom died Ziva, I don't think he's ever going to figure it out." He chuckled mirthlessly. "We used to be a normal family, y'know? Mom, dad, kid. Big house with a staff. Dad was a charmer even then, but he only used it on my mom. I was only ten, but I remember how he looked at her, how she smiled. He was head over heels in love with her Ziva, and when she died everything changed."

Ziva put her hand over his and Tony gave a ghost of a smile before squeezing her fingers gently. He appreciated her support. "Dad did his best to take care of me while Mom was in the hospital - taking me fishing and on roadtrips to nearby states and cities. Then we'd go visit her and I'd lay in her arms for hours while we watched all these old movies she wanted me to remember. As much as I was sad that she was sick, those are some of my best memories."

He sighed. "But when Mom died, it was like a switch got flipped in my dad, and from that day forward he never seemed to want me around. Too many memories, I guess. I was in one boarding school after another. I caused all sorts of trouble, tried everything I could think of to get his attention, but nothing worked. When I got old enough, I chose a university hours away from home and hoped the distance would make it hurt less. But the funny thing is, it never stopped hurting. Three decades and I still miss my mom."

Ziva touched his cheek and slid her arms around his neck. Tony returned the embrace and they shared that comfort for several heartbeats. Then she pulled away and looked into his eyes. "You never forget. My mother died when I was twelve, and I still miss her and think of her often. I try to remember her hug, the way she smelled, the light in her eyes when she smiled. There will always be something you hold in your heart for your mother. She gave you a love of movies, yes?"

Tony nodded, his thumb moving over the back of her hand. "Yeah. It started with silent films and we explored all the classics together. Everything started with her."

Ziva smiled. "Then you will not forget. You have shared something your mother loved with everyone around you, even if sometimes they do not appreciate it as much as you hope." She tilted her head. "What was her name?"

He stared out the window. "Dad called her Mia, but her full name was Amelia Elisabeth Paddington DiNozzo."

"That sounds like the name of a princess," Ziva commented.

"She was," Tony agreed, then shook himself and changed the subject. "He's going to be fine you know."

Ziva feigned innocence. "Who?"

Tony gave her a look. "Gibbs. He's survived everything the past two decades at NCIS and another two in the Marines have thrown at him. One deranged pyromaniac isn't going to take him down."

"We are a team Tony, we are supposed to do this together."

"No, we're his family." Tony countered. "And deep down Gibbs is just a dad trying to protect his kids."

Ziva swallowed. "I need him to come back."

Tony pushed some hair over her shoulder. "We all do." He stood up and offered his hand. "Come on ninja, we've got paperwork to do."

She rolled her eyes. "You hate paperwork."

"Then we'll do it together," Tony offered. "I'll even share my desk."

Ziva put her hand in his. "You have a deal."

At that Tony smiled, because the look in his partner's eyes said that she was talking about so much more than working together here, and he would do whatever was necessary to make sure that they finally took this chance. Next time they might not be so lucky and Tony didn't want to miss a moment.

_Replies:_

_NCISProbie (Snapshots 39) - So I'm not sure if you're reading just the RofS series or other stuff I write too, but I'm posting my reply here in hopes that you'll see it. I promise I read your review the day you left it and it really touched my heart :) _

_Really? Cool, always nice to have a follower :) I'm your first ever review? Wow, I'm totally honoured, thank you :) Oh...gosh, you're gonna make me blush here, that's really sweet of you to say. I honestly never expected it to become as big as it did nor to last as long, but I'm proud of how it turned out. lol, the hours and days of research were worth it in the end. Not sure I can take credit for getting the characters right - they're in my head, I hear their voices, that's why it sounds familiar, but thanks :) I'm always glad to hear that my stories have elicited emotion, because I love making people feel something when I write. If only the show could build Tiva into something like this...*sigh* _

_You may have seen it in one of my A/N's, but I wrote RofS because I was looking for something that dealt with post-Somalia and nothing was really what I wanted, so I fell back on the quote that says if there's a story you want to read that hasn't been written yet, you should write it. Ta-da! The series was born :) I always like to find things the show never tells us - because clearly everyone apart of that mission would ahve been affected. I'm glad you found Z's healing to be believable. Well, I'm pleased to have offered you a brief respite from life in general. Your friend might be right, but clearly I'm invested too, so you're not alone :P _

_You may be one fan, but I am so thankful for each person who has read and contributed to these stories and there are many who stand out. Your review was very meaningful to me and I thank you for taking the time to leave it - thank you :) You are very welcome, thank you for reading my work. FF readers have continually amazed me throughout my time here and I feel so blessed to be part of this community. lol...I'll tell you a secret - I'll probably post one more Snapshot before the final Christmas one. Sometimes my stories aren't ready to end :P Thank you so much for your lovely review, I appreciate it :) ~Aliyah_


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